As a long-standing medium, literature—especially dramatic
literature—has been a source for understanding values,
contributing to culture, and informing scientific theories. Indeed,
literature is uniquely situated to make significant impacts on the
individual, the community, and beyond. Through its characters,
narratives, and symbolic patterns, literature offers archetypes and
frameworks that both reflect and shape cultural politics. Literary
figures not only embody recurring human behaviors but also
provide templates by which individuals and societies can diagnose
and describe psychological and social dynamics. In doing so,
literature serves as a mirror of human complexity while
simultaneously acting as a catalyst for change: dramatizing
injustices, reimagining identities, and offering alternative visions
of social life. The capacity of readers to engage emotionally and
critically with fictional figures allows literature to inspire empathy,
challenge entrenched norms, and contribute to collective selfunderstanding. While the Oedipus and Electra complexes have
shaped psychological discourse for more than a century, this
article proposes a new Greek myth-based complex as a framework
for analyzing mass shooters, aiming to replace existing biased
labels: the Ajax complex.